LONDON, CMC – Walsall captain Donervon Daniels said he was looking for more wins – and goals – towards the end of the English League 2 season and was banking on the return from injury of Jamaican striker Jamille Matt to help deliver the goods.
Daniels, the Montserrat international captain, who salvaged a point for Walsall in a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Grimsby Town, said he was happy with how the team defended and did not give away many goals. Still, he admitted it could look better in terms of points.
Walsall, who were away to AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday, sit in mid-table in the English fourth-tier league with a goal difference of +6, having scored 39 goals, but they are 12 points out of the playoffs.
Daniels, 29, said he hoped the imminent return of Matt brought the club some good fortune in the final nine matches.
Matt, 33, has yet to score for Walsall since leaving struggling League 1 side Forest Green Rovers in January, and he has not played for five weeks.
He scored twice this season for Forest Green, having netted 20 goals for the Gloucestershire outfit last season.
“We had some bad luck in the front line this season with problems of fitness and injury with Jamille and Matty Stevens [on loan from Forest Green],” Daniels, a defender, told the Express & Star newspaper.
“I hope the return of Jamma [Matt] when he does come back will help us options-wise. He may be able to get a partnership going with Conor [Wilkinson] as it is plain to see we are currently lacking goals.”
Matt, who played under current Walsall boss Michael Flynn at Newport County, and Stevens proved a lethal combination dubbed the “Matt attack” at Forest Green last season when they were promoted to the third tier for the first time after winning League 2.
Stevens scored 27 goals, but his season was cut short by an injury in April that sidelined him until Boxing Day.
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